Saints' Sean Payton named to NFL's competition committee

— -- METAIRIE, La. -- New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton has been added to the NFL's competition committee, the league confirmed Friday.

"It's an honor to be named to the NFL Competition Committee," Payton said in a statement. "The challenges that annually face the committee are certainly significant and they merit thoughtful, open dialogues and well-reasoned resolutions when needed. I look forward to making contributions to this great game and working closely with my fellow competition committee members."

Payton's addition is interesting since coaches, league owners and executives are generally selected by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell -- and Payton and Goodell have a history. The NFL suspended Payton for the 2012 season after the league determined the Saints' defense had used a bounty system for injuring opponents.

In his 12 years as a head coach, Payton has had strong opinions on league rules. For instance, he has been very vocal about the need for full-time referees and his desire to see pass-interference calls be eligible for review.

He was previously a member of the coaches' competition subcommittee. Payton is being added as an 11th member of the group.

The committee, chaired by Atlanta Falcons president Rich McKay, currently includes head coaches Marvin Lewis, Mike Tomlin and Bruce Arians; owners Stephen Jones and John Mara; and team executives John Elway, Mark Murphy, Ozzie Newsome and Rick Smith.

According to the league, the committee reviews all competitive aspects of the game, including (but not limited to) playing rules, roster regulations, technology, game-day operations and player protection.